The dangers of bombs, explosive devices, and articles of unknown origin suspected to be an explosive device, are well known, especially when discovered placed in common areas of public facilities, such as airports, train stations, building lobbies, etc. To address such threats, emergency response teams have been known to utilize aqueous foam as a blast mitigator. Such foams, however, provide little protection from fragmentation/shrapnel and other exploding projectiles. Bomb squad professionals have also used large heavy steel tanks mounted on trailers that are towed as close as possible to where the bomb is found. This placement operation, however, often requires the trailers to be brought from an offsite location which may be delayed due to traffic, traffic conditions, and other variables.
Cylindrical rings have also been utilized for placement over and around a suspected explosive device or object to protect against horizontal blast effects and fragments. One example known as a “disrupter ring” is produced by Protection Development International Corporation (PDIC) of Corona Calif., (http://www.armor-pdi.com). The disrupter ring has a unibody cylindrical ring construction with a slot on its sidewall through which a disrupter is placed for destroying the unknown article. Handles are also connected to the cylindrical ring for carrying/physically transporting the ring to an incident location.
Similar to the threat of blast effects and exploding fragments, the dangers of incoming weapons fire are also well appreciated. Oftentimes, it is necessary for military, law enforcement, or security personnel, to enter or pass through known “hot” zones of incoming weapons fire, such as for example in rescue operations of downed personnel or to capture a strategic location in the midst of a firefight. In such situations, user mobility under fire is critical, and for which individual safety is often sacrificed. While bullet-proof vests and other body-clad armor or protective devices are known and are capable of defeating some types of small arms fire, they often do not provide complete body shielding.
In both situations of blast effects mitigation and personal shielding against weapons fire, the need to provide rapidly-deployable interim protection to individuals, both directly and indirectly, is compelling and widely recognized. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a simple, cost-effective, easily storable, and rapidly-deployable blast effects/ballistic shield which is readily available for easy set up and deployment, to minimize interim risk from terrorist or other explosive devices at public facilities, as well as provide improved personal protection from exposure against weapons fire.